Did Bathsheba tempt David?
Question:
Just a quick question, I'm curious as to what your thoughts are. Do you believe that Bathsheba had some scheme in mind or was just as guilty as David was by bathing where she could be seen? After all, she was on her own property and perhaps, did not realize that someone would be watching from their roof?
Answer:
Artist drawing of what David's palace complex might have looked like. Source: WGBH Educational Foundation
Most people had homes that were roughly the same height. But David's palace towered above the other homes. But typically people don't wander around the tops of the palace. "Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance" (II Samuel 11:2). It is likely that Bathsheba thought she had privacy from her neighbors and did not consider that someone from the more distant palace might see her. We can't conclude that Bathsheba had purposely set out to lure David. Consensual sexual sins involve two people and both are responsible for the sin (I Corinthians 6:18), but David holds the greater burden because he was king. He should have averted his eyes when he realized he was seeing a woman bathing. He certainly should not have inquired after her or called her to the palace, especially after he learned that she was married.
